/dɪˈleɪ/, /dəˈleɪ/, /dɪ-/
OriginFrom Middle English delaien, borrowed from Anglo-Norman delaier, Old French deslaier, from des- + Old French laier (“to leave”), a conflation of Old Frankish *lattjan ("to delay, hinder"; from Proto-Germanic *latjaną (“to delay, hinder, stall”), from Proto-Indo-European *leh₁d- (“to leave, leave behind”)), and Old Frankish *laibijan ("to leave"; from Proto-Germanic *laibijaną (“to leave, cause to stay”), from Proto-Indo-European *leyp- (“to remain, continue”)). Doublet of dally.
Akin to Old English latian (“to delay, hesitate”), Old English latu (“a delay, a hindrance”), Old English lǣfan (“to leave”). More at let (to hinder), late, leave.
- countable, uncountableA period of time before an event occurs; the act of delaying; procrastination; lingering inactivity.
“the delay before the echo of a sound”
“Two twenty minutes' delays.”
“Without any delay, on the morrow I sat on the judgment seat.”
- countable, uncountableAn audio effects unit that introduces a controlled delay.
“The 8-bit sound quality of many early delays did indeed leave a lot to be desired (compare this to the 16-bit digital technology of CDs)”
- countable, uncountableSynonym of promise (“object representing delayed result”).
- countable, uncountableAn amount of time provided on each move before one's clock starts to tick; a less common time control than increment.
- transitiveTo put off until a later time; to defer.
“My lord delayeth his coming.”
- transitiveTo retard; to temporarily stop, detain, or hinder.
“The mail is delayed by a heavy fall of snow.”
“Mr. Cooke had had a sloop yacht built at Far Harbor, the completion of which had been delayed, and which was but just delivered. […] The Maria had a cabin, which was finished in hard wood and yellow p”
- intransitiveTo wait, hesitate, tarry.
“Don't delay; this special offer ends at midnight!”
“Don't delay
Something tells me I gotta go away”
- obsolete, transitiveTo allay; to temper.
“The watery showers delay the raging wind.”
- obsoleteTo dilute, temper.
- obsoleteTo assuage, quench, allay.
“Those dreadfull flames she also found delayd / And quenched quite like a consumed torch […].”
Formsdelays(plural) · delays(present, singular, third-person) · delaying(participle, present) · delayed(participle, past) · delayed(past) · Delays(plural)